In corporate media you must provide a steady stream of quality content that will interest, excite and, oh yes, engage your audience.

There are some very fundamental things that everyone should understand to write clearly and convincingly on social media. By following these simple tips, you can learn to avoid the pitfalls that so many make while mastering the craft of social media writing.

Present only one big idea:Selling Old Selling Casual Old Dress Navy Wq86SdO8w5 Social media is a dynamic, cluttered space, and you cannot afford for your message to be muddled because it contains too many ideas. Decide on the single big idea you want to get across for each piece, and craft your piece around this big idea. Make sure the headline and teaser material also clearly convey the big idea – and only the big idea.

Always answer the “why”: When your audience is skimming social media, they’re attracted to the things that inform and delight them. But how does your audience know when a piece of content will fit that bill? The answer is simple: It’s up to you to explain why they should click. As humans, we’re instinctively more likely to click if we receive a clear explanation in advance about why this click will entertain and inform us.

Unlearn everything your English teacher taught you: Your well-intentioned English teacher in high school taught you how to write a sophisticated, academic prose that included perfectly formed sentences and elegant word choices. This writing style helped you pass your college classes, no doubt, but it’s all wrong for social media. You must learn to communicate in short, pithy sentences, to not be afraid to start sentences with a verb and to write sentences without a subject or object. This is the type of writing that is the most readable and attractive on social media.

Create vivid imagery: Good social media writing involves painting a vivid picture for your audience, so they can visualize a product or concept. You want to explain to them what it looks, smells, sounds, feels or tastes like to be a consumer of your product or service. Especially for complex subjects and concepts, you want to use examples that your audience can relate to and visualize in their minds.

Tell great stories: As humans, we communicate in stories. Everything that happens in our lives can be told as a story, with a beginning, middle and end, and filled with drama and little details that help us relate to and be immersed in that story. As you ponder what your story is, think about moments in history and how they relate to what is happening now. Frame ideas and concepts around emotions and analogies. Infuse your content pieces with drama and mystery and surprise. If you can tell great stories on social media, you will always be able to catch your audience’s attention.

As you begin developing your social media voice, remember to study how some of the most respected businesses in your industry communicate on social media. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn about how to write clearly and convincingly on social media, just by observing and imitating others.

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Transforming Your Employees Into Thought Leaders

Have you considered harnessing the power of your greatest resource—your employees—to accelerate your social media strategy? When done properly, you can empower your employees’ to utilize their individual expertise and their social media followers to reinforce your own brand with much better results than corporate self-promotion.

How Citrix Launched Their Employee Advocacy Program

Rhonda Hughes is the Senior Corporate Social Media Manager at Citrix. Several years ago she was facing a challenge: how could the company mobilize their more than 9,000 employees on social media, and increase their marketing reach exponentially?

Social selling is very similar to inbound marketing: the idea is to improve overall efficiency by building more substantive relationships with your target audiences. Become a trusted leader, discussion igniter, and knowledge magnet in your industry with this social selling starter kit.

Transforming Your Employees Into Thought Leaders

Have you considered harnessing the power of your greatest resource—your employees—to accelerate your social media strategy? When done properly, you can empower your employees’ to utilize their individual expertise and their social media followers to reinforce your own brand with much better results than corporate self-promotion.

How Citrix Launched Their Employee Advocacy Program

Rhonda Hughes is the Senior Corporate Social Media Manager at Citrix. Several years ago she was facing a challenge: how could the company mobilize their more than 9,000 employees on social media, and increase their marketing reach exponentially?

The Complete Social Selling Starter Kit

Pullover Gap Gap Boutique Boutique Boutique Sweater Sweater Pullover Pullover Sweater Gap Gap Boutique Social selling is very similar to inbound marketing: the idea is to improve overall efficiency by building more substantive relationships with your target audiences. Become a trusted leader, discussion igniter, and knowledge magnet in your industry with this social selling starter kit.

Transforming Your Employees Into Thought Leaders

Have you considered harnessing the power of your greatest resource—your employees—to accelerate your social media strategy? When done properly, you can empower your employees’ to utilize their individual expertise and their social media followers to reinforce your own brand with much better results than corporate self-promotion.